12 years ago when the I.T. departments had a 'CIO' level, the tech field was booming and great. Then came the fall.

As businesses saw computers and their support structure as a 'cost' rather than a 'revenue generator', more and more companies dumped the 'CIO' level and put I.T. departments under a business manager. Thats when the pay cuts started.

I knew two guys - both programmers at the same company making 80k in 2004. Their entire department had an across the board cut in pay of 50%, so as to not make it look like any one person was singled out.

Now, going from 80k to 40k in a week is still 40k to live off of. One ended in divorce and then lost his job due to the drama involved, then lost everything and ended up homeless.

The second guy stayed around until he found a better job, and he found a better paying job though he had to relocate from Florida to California. His marriage did not make it though.

My point? Some families get so used to a certain income and never think it will happen to them. In these two cases both lost their marriages over a 50% cut in pay. Some handle it better than others.

As for those glad Hostess closed down, all I can say is sometimes when we have had enough we just want it to end. However it ends doesn't matter anymore. This is they dying of the American spirit of upward mobility to the new downward mobility.

Until we have a POTUS and Senate which promotes business and upward mobility instead of 'Revenge', I fear this is the new normal.

Sad, isn't it.

Quoting: IJumpInIt 24238594

This guy has it. In the last months of hostess the hired up a liquidation expert and granted pay raises to CEOs in the range of 200%-300%. A 2.5 billion dollar a year company going bankrupt doesn't act the way they were unless they were simply using the bankruptcy as a tool towards union busting. This gave them only two potential outcomes, both favoring those who have the leverage. Either the workers take the pay cuts, cuts in benefits, and removal of pension, or they go bankrupt and sell off. Either way they know they can all go from 500k-700k a year to a 2m+ a year.

Welcome to corporate America. Everything is a cost and when looked at it is no longer "How does this benefit us" it is "can we do without this?" This approach of greed will continue to promote downward mobility as the elite in-fight with who is the "most elite" while hardworking Americans lose their jobs. As if that wasn't enough they have to listen to mouth breathers who don't get it give them a hard time.